The ozone layer is getting thinner day by day and for this reason most harmful rays that come from sun are reaching the earth’s face. The incidence of both non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers has been increasing over the past decades. Currently, between 2 and 3 million non-melanoma skin cancers and 132,000 melanoma skin cancers occur globally each year. One in every three cancers diagnosed is a skin cancer and there is a high mortality rate from UV ray associated melanomas, one person dies of melanoma every hour & since 86% of melanomas are caused by UV rays from the sun, this is of little surprise.
To protect from harmful UV rays come from Sun, the use of sunscreens is the best method. The two mineral UV filters available on the market are Zinc Oxide (ZnO) & Titanium Dioxide (TiO2). Zinc Oxide is a globally approved natural mineral ingredient, considered the most effective UV filter in broad spectrum sunscreen, providing extensive protection against both UVA & UVB rays. The two current conventional forms of ZnO used in sunscreen products are of micron & nano particle size. There are benefits & disadvantages to each of the micron or nano forms of ZnO. Some formulators consider Micron ZnO has better health & safety features; however, nano ZnO is considered a more effective sunscreen & is thus more commonly used by formulators.
MicNo-ZnO technology from Entekno Materials is a novel mineral-based UV filter. Created by patented MicNo particle technology it combines the benefits of both micron & nano ZnO particles. MicNo-ZnO is a tailored, platelet shaped, micron sized particle composed of nano primary particles. MicNo acts like micron ZnO over the skin, since it does not penetrate through the skin, but it still offers the high protection & transparency of nano ZnO.
The level of protection from UV rays in a sunscreen is described by using the term SPF, or Sun Protection Factor. This term is used in the cosmetic market. SPF is the measure of protection a sun cream can provide against UVB rays. Regular daily use of an SPF 15 or higher sunscreen can reduce the risk of developing melanoma by 50%. Although the best method to avoid getting a melanoma is using sunscreens, the sunscreens can cause serious health problem for people. Use of nano or micron size particles in sunscreens have some disadvantages. For this reason, MicNo particle technology was developed to combines the benefits of nano & micron size particles without any of the disadvantages. This is attributed to the platelet shape of the MicNo particles which offer high coverage effect over the skin. The high coverage effect provides high protection for users. Another advantage that the MicNo technology offers to the users which is due to the overall particle size of MicNo particles being micron size, is that they do not penetrate through the skin & the MicNo demonstrates highest safety outcome for consumers. Also, since the thickness of the particles are nano sized, the particles offers high transparency effect which consumers desire in the final sunscreen product.
